Feelings Mutual
by v0mitchild93
Summary: An accident helps Lorelai and Luke come to terms with their feelings. (Set somewhere in beginning of season 4 but doesn't necessarily carry with the events in the season.)
1. Chapter 1

"Lorelai!" Bang. Bang. Bang! She woke up with a start and groaned. Rolling over to see the clock. Bang. Bang. Bang. "Lorelai, sugar!"

"Oh my god, Babette. I swear if this isn't important..." bang. Bang. Bang. Lorelai rolled clumsily out of bed and grabbed her robe. She poured herself downstairs and shuffled to the front door. Unlocking it and swinging it open harshly. "Babette, it's six in the morning." She finally opened her eyes and saw panic all over Babette's face. "What happened?"

"It's Luke. There was an accident this morning...he's...he's in the hospital! I don't know what happened, Patty called me about an hour ago and she said that Eastside Tilly saw it happen, as she was coming in from God knows where! Then I didn't know if you knew, so I though, well gosh she's probably asleep and doesn't know-"

"Babette!" Babette stopped talking and looked at Lorelai, tears in her eyes. "Which hospital?"

"Hartford Memorial, sugar!" Lorelai raced back inside, putting on the first outfit she could find, running back downstairs she slipped on the first pair of shoes she found, grabbed her keys and cellphone, then hurried out the door and into the Jeep.

"Come on, Rory, pick up." As she drove down the highway, cellphone pressed to her ear. Getting more frustrated by the second she flipped her phone shut and threw it onto the passenger seat. She took a deep shaky breath and picked up her phone again.

"Hey hon. it's me. There's been an accident, I'm heading to the hospital now. Uh, it's Luke. Call me when you get this." She slipped the phone tightly between her thighs and pulled into the hospital parking lot. She turned the car off and ran into the emergency wing. She stopped just inside the door and looked around, spotting a nurse at the station. "Hi, um, I'm looking for Luke or Lucas Danes." The nurse nodded and tapped away on the computer for a moment.

"Ma'am, he's just been moved up to surgery. He'll probably be moved up to the ICU, they only let family in before visiting hours." Before Lorelai could think she took a deep breath and said,

"I'm his wife."

"Oh, well, you can go up to the ICU and wait there Mrs. Danes." Lorelai nodded and took her time going up to the ICU, she thought she'd be more put together than she was feeling. Her mind was blank, except for thoughts of Luke. She found a chair in the waiting area and closed her eyes. She thought about Luke at Rory's caterpillar funeral. She smiled. She thought about the diner and the way that just walking into that place and having that familiar smell of coffee and burgers wash over her felt like home. She thought about Luke at her house, and all the things he's done for her and Rory, keeping them safe and worrying about them. She thought about the way he made Rory a coffee cake and set up balloons for her on her 16th birthday, how he helped her move into her dorm at Yale. She thought about his eyes, his deep blue eyes that made her heart jump every time he looked at her. The way the slightest touch from his made her skin tingle.

"Mrs. Danes?" Her eyes popped open and she stood. Facing the doctor who looks as though he just got out of surgery. She noticed the time and realised that she must have fallen asleep.

"Yeah, yes?"

"Surgery went well...he's in the ICU recovery and will be moved into a room once his vitals normalise. You will have to prepare yourself, he's a little banged up. A nurse will come to get you when he's being moved." Lorelai nodded.

"Thank you. Uh, doctor?" The doctor looked at her expectantly.

"What happened? I was only told he was in an accident. I didn't get the details."

"A car crash, he had a severe head injury, multiple broken bones and internal bleeding. We stopped the bleeding and he'll be in casts for a few weeks, his head on the other hand, only time will tell. We'll have to run some tests when he wakes up, but we're hopeful." He rested his hand on her shoulder. She nodded.

"Thank you." She turned and looked back at the clock, it's been six hours since he went into surgery. She did fall asleep. She looked at her phone and noticed she had 14 missed calls and 3 voicemails. She listened to them, they were all from Rory.

"Mom!" She heard Rory's voice and turned to see her rushing over. They pulled each other into a hug. "I couldn't get a hold of you, I went to three different hospitals! Is he okay? What happened? Can we see him? Are you okay? How did you find out?"

"I'm sorry, I fell asleep. Babette woke me up and told me. He's still asleep from the surgery...he's got broken bones, car crash..." Lorelai took a deep breath to calm herself. "He was in a car crash this morning. He has multiple broken bones, severe head injury and internal bleeding. He had surgery, bleeding has stopped...they don't know about his head yet. Oh Rory!" A sob burst from her body and Rory pulled her into her arms.

"Oh mom. It's going to be okay. Shh." Rory soothed her, rubbing her back. "Have you had something to eat? Coffee?"

"No and no. I got here at like six thirty and then I must've fallen asleep. Oh my god, I have to call Nicole...he must've been on his way to the diner from Litchfield...oh shoot!" Rory looked at her questioning. "I told the nurse I was his wife. That's why they haven't called Nicole..." she looked wide eyed at Rory's.

"Mom! What are you gonna do? She'll be upset that it took 6 hours...and that you said you were his wife..." Lorelai's face dropped.

"Ugh, I have to call her." Rory nodded. And stood up.

"I'll go find coffee...you do what you need to do."

"Thanks hon." Lorelai sighed heavily and sat back in the chair. She watched Rory walk away and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialled the only number she knew that she could possibly find Nicole on.

"Nicole Leahy." Lorelai's heart sank when she heard her voice. She took a deep breath.

"Nicole, its Lorelai."

"Oh, hi. Uh..."

"Luke was in an accident...he's in Hartford Memorial. Can you get here?" She heard Nicole gasp and the phone hung up. She sat back in her chair and waited. Rory came back with coffee and sat next to her as the nurse came over.

"You can go and see him now. He's still asleep but-"

"Thank you." The nurse nodded and turned away to show them to his room. Rory stopped and stilled. "You coming?" Lorelai asked.

"No...uh, you go ahead...I'll wait out here for Nicole." Lorelai nodded and turned to follow the nurse. As she stepped into the room, she heard the beeps from the machine and looked over at Luke. There were tubes running from his arms and wires hanging everywhere. Her eyes welled with tears and she swallowed hard. She tentatively walked over to the bed and pulled a chair over. She took him in. The casts on both of his legs, and one on his left arm. The foam around his neck. She sat down and took his right hand in hers, the only hand that wasn't in a cast.

"Oh, Luke." She squeezed his hand lightly and the heart monitor started beeping faster. Her brow furrowed and she stared at his face. Bruises covered most of it, cuts and scrapes plastered his cheeks and forehead. She looked at the small curl of hair that peeked out from under his bandage wrapped around his head, she smiled a small sad smile. "I was so scared, Luke. I'm so sorry this happened to you. You didn't deserve this." She heard the door open and Nicole stood at the door. Lorelai took her hand away from his and stood up.

"Hi. Uh, he's doing okay...I'll give you a minute." Nicole gave her a small smile and began to leave.

"Lorelai." They both heard a groggy voice call. Nicole looked at Lorelai and Lorelai swallowed hard, not making eye contact with her. "Lorelai." He seemed to be dreaming. Nicole stood still and watched her.

"Well, he doesn't seem to want me here..." Nicole said bitterly and gestured toward her husband.

"Nicole, don't be like that." Lorelai said softly.

"How should I be? I didn't find out he was in an accident from the hospital, I found out from you...six hours after it happened...and I'm standing here listening to my husband call your name in his sleep...what am I supposed to do?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know why he would do that..." Nicole just nodded and dropped her head.

"I do." Nicole slipped out of the room and walked down the hall. Lorelai stood still in the middle of the doorway.

"Lorelai..." she heard again. She looked to Luke and saw his eyes slowly flutter open. She rushed over to him and took his hand again.

"Hey sleepyhead." She said in a whisper. "How do you feel?" He winced as he tried to move his head. "Don't move, Luke."

"What happened? Why am I in the hospital...where-" he stopped talking when he noticed his legs in casts. He looked at the monitors and he coughed.

"You were in an accident. You don't remember?" He shook his head. Footsteps were heard and the doctor came up behind Lorelai.

"Ah, Mr. Danes. You're awake." The doctor took his clipboard and wrote a few things down. He watched the monitor for a moment and scribbled a few more things and then turned to Luke. He took a light pen out of his pocket and checked Luke's eyes. "Well, your light sensitivity looks fine, your vitals have more to be desired but that will come with time." The doctor moved to the foot of the bed and tapped the top of Luke's toes that stuck out from the cast. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeah." He moved to Luke's left and squeezed his fingers.

"That?"

"Yeah." Luke looked over at Lorelai. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Okay well, I'll get the nurse to check on you in a little while. Get comfy, Mr. Danes. I'm sorry to say but you'll be here for a little while yet." Luke rolled his eyes and rolled his head to the side to look away from Lorelai.

"Luke? Do you remember anything?" He slowly rolled his head back to centre and sighed heavily.

"The last thing I remember is Nicole and I having a fight, I got in my car and drove around for a few hours. Where did I crash?" Lorelai sat down and looked at her hand in his. His fingers wrapped around hers, showing no signs of letting go.

"I'm sorry. I don't know." Luke just stared at the opposite wall.

"I need to get this thing off my neck." He cranes his neck to try and loosen the foam support. Lorelai stood and reached over him to unclasp the Velcro.

"I don't think I was supposed to do that." She placed the foam at the foot of the bed and she sat back down. She rested her hand on the bed, near his and sat in silence. He reached his fingers over to hers and pulled her hand into his. She smiled to herself and looked at him. He was still not looking at her. "Luke?"

"Yeah?" Lorelai waited a moment and swallowed.

"What did you fight about?" She whispered. Luke turned his head and stared at her. Silence filled the room, only the beeping from his monitor was heard.

"You."

"Me?"

"I fell asleep." Lorelai looked confused. She didn't say anything. "I fell asleep at the wheel. That's why I crashed..." he waited a moment to see if she was going to speak. She didn't. "I went to Nicole's place last night, we were supposed to have dinner but...you came into the diner so I stayed..." she opened her mouth to say something but he squeezed her hand and kept talking. "When I finally got there, she was angry. I knew she would be but I didn't care. We both went to bed early." Once again she was about to say something but he continued. "She woke me up at about three and started yelling at me because I had said your name in my sleep. So I left, I drove around, I must have fallen asleep and veered off the road." He pulled her hand closer to him and held it a little tighter, afraid she was going to leave.

"Well, you still have your memory." She whispered, she kept her eyes on their interlocked hand. "Nicole was here."

"What?"

"I had to call her. She didn't know." He nodded his head gingerly. She finally looked up at him. His eyes wandered the room.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"She left." Lorelai whispered.

"What? Why?" He chuckled bitterly. "God. I knew it, she doesn't give a crap about me. I get it. Why did she even come in the first place then? If she wasn't even going to wait." Lorelai pulled at his hand to get his attention.

"Luke...she does care. She came in and I was here. You said my name, three times..." she could feel his eyes boring into her. She felt sad for him but she felt something else too, something she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Lorelai, I-" he started to say something when the nurse walked in.

"Hi, sorry. I just have to check his stitches." Lorelai let go of his hand and stood up.

"Oh sorry. I should go check on Rory. I'll be back." She said to Luke.

"Rory's here?" She smiled at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I'll come back in a bit." She gave him a little wave and stepped out of the room. She waited to turn the corner as she burst into tears. Rory stood up from her seat and saw her mom crying.

"Mom? Hey, what's going on? Is Luke okay?" She grabbed Lorelai's shoulders and tried to get her to look at her. "Mom."

"This is all my fault!" Lorelai said between sobs. Rory pulled her in for a hug and rubbed her back.

"How is this any of your fault?" Rory gave her a minute to calm down and pulled her over to the seats. They sat down and Lorelai took a few deep breaths, and wiped her eyes.

"If I hadn't gone into the diner last night none of this would have happened."

"What are you talking about?" Rory pleaded with her, confused.

"He was supposed to go for dinner with Nicole, but I had to get coffee last night after the town meeting...he was late and they fought and he got in the car and...god, it's all my fault." Rory shook her head.

"Mom. This isn't your fault." Rory handed her a cup of coffee. "Sip." Lorelai drank the coffee and sighed deeply.

"He's glad you came." Rory smiled.

"Yeah? Of course I came...he's special." Lorelai smiled at Rory.

"Yeah. He is. Do you want to see him? I think he'd really like that?"

"Where's Nicole?" Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"She left." Lorelai said with a scoff. She felt angry at herself and Nicole. For years people had told her that Luke had feelings for her, she ignore that fact because she didn't want to deal with having to face her own feelings for Luke. She never admitted it, not even to herself. She cared for him a lot. She was terrified after she heard the news, terrified that Luke could possibly not be around anymore. She needed him more than she realised. She couldn't come to terms with the fact that her heart broke when he told her about his cruise and that he'd married Nicole.

Rory didn't ask her mother what had happened. She didn't need to know because deep down she knew her mother was the one that needed to there. It was just a technicality, the Nicole situation. Rory knew it, Nicole knew it. Luke and Lorelai should know.

"I should go back in. You want to say hi?" Rory nodded and stood up. The women walked back into Luke's room as the nurse stepped out. He looked over at Lorelai and Rory.

"Hey." Rory said, getting a little closer to him. "How you feeling?" Luke smiled.

"Bit of a head ache." He said sarcastically. Lorelai watched the two as they chatted. She never took her eyes off him and every few moments or so he would glance over at her. Rory decided to go back to school, she told Luke that she'd come back and see him before the end of the week, she hugged him gingerly so not to hurt him and told him softly that she was glad he is okay.

Lorelai took a deep breath after Rory had left and she sat back in the chair by his bed. Neither of them said a thing. Luke turned his hand, so that his palm was facing up and he flexed his fingers motioning her her hand. She smiled to herself and slowly laced her fingers with his.

"I was so scared." She said softly. Not really saying to him but just putting it out there. He squeezed her hand.

"Lorelai. I'm right here." She laughed.

"You're the one all banged up in hospital and you're trying to comfort me!" She couldn't hold it back, she let a tear fall and let out a sob. He tried to move but all he could do was lift her hand to his bruised lips and kiss the back of her hand lightly.

"I care about you." That was all he said, she stood up and lightly leaned over him and draped her body over his torso, fingers still laced at his side, she buried her face in his neck. He let her hand go and he wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her back softly.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" She asked against his neck.

"Not at all." They stayed like that for a while and finally Lorelai pulled away when her back began to hurt. She looked over him and noticed he was asleep. She sat back down and watched him sleep for a while. A nurse came in with a tray of food and sat it on the table near the wall.

"I'll let him know when he wakes up." Lorelai said quietly. The nurse nodded and walked out. Lorelai lifted the lid on the tray and looked over the food. She grimaced at the slop on the plate and covered it back up. She quickly went to the side of his bed and took the notepad from the table, she scribbled something down and placed the paper into his hand. She grabbed her phone and keys and left. She drove back to Stars Hollow and stopped at Sookie's.

"Sookie! Jackson!" She knocked on the door. Sookie opened the door after a few more knocks and frowned when she saw Lorelai's face.

"Aw honey. How's Luke?" Lorelai cried for the third time that afternoon as Sookie ushered her inside and over to the couch. She brought her some coffee and Lorelai explained everything that happened, including the scene with Nicole.

"He was saying my name, Sookie. He said my name." She said distantly.

"He's been saying your name for years, sweety." Lorelai looked at Sookie and gave her a sad smile. Sookie pulled her in for a hug.

"Can you do me a favour?"

Lorelai got back to the hospital and went straight to Luke's room. She walked in to see Luke sitting up a little further in the bed.

"Hey." She said, putting some things down on the table and walking over to the chair.

"Hey." He smiled at her. He looked over at the bags in her hand. "What's all that?"

"That's dinner. I'm not going to sit here and watch you eat hospital food, Luke." She said matter of factly and pulled the slide bench up so he would be able to eat. She reached into one bag and pulled out a bottle of apple juice and one plastic storage container with grilled chicken and another with salad. She laid it all out on the table in front of him and handed him a fork.

"Wow, Lorelai. Thank you." She smiled at him and nodded.

"Of course." She sat in the chair and pulled out the next bag.

"That's a Luke's bag." He stated. She grinned and bit her lip.

"Well, your dinner is from this fabulous place called Sookie's and as delicious as I'm sure that would be...I felt like something a little more familiar...burger and fries." She grinned at him again and he rolled his eyes but laughed a little.

"Why am I not surprised?" They ate in companionable silence. Making quick glances at each other. Lorelai noticed him having trouble eating a few times but didn't dare ask him if he needed help, she knew he would refuse. A nurse popped into the room and took down some notes and left again and Lorelai picked up the remote to switch on the little over head tv. She could feel him watching her but didn't acknowledge him. She stared at the tv as she flipped through the channels. "You know you don't have to stay, Lorelai."

"I want to." Was all she said. She looked at him and smiled.

"I have some things that I need to talk to you about." He said quickly, as if he didn't really want her to hear it. She looked at him and pressed the off button in the remote. Turning slightly to face him. He rolled his head slowly to the side and looked at her.

"What is it?" She watched his face carefully, noticing him swallowing hard and close his eyes. He sighed and reached his hand out, she took his hand and moved closer.

"If there's one thing that I've learnt from this accident, it's the inevitability of death..." Lorelai took a deep breath, she felt a wave of nervousness course through her body. "I could have died this morning and...I don't want that to happen without you knowing how I feel." He squeezed her hand and ran his thumb over the back of it. He stared into her eyes. "I honestly don't know why I married Nicole. I don't love her, I don't now...I didn't when I married her but I got comfortable with the knowledge that I'd probably never be with you..."

"Luke-"

"Please, let me finish. If I don't do it now, I'll never get the guts to do it again." Lorelai nodded and swallowed. "Lorelai, I've had feelings for you for, oh I don't know...probably seven years or something..." Lorelai gasped at his admission, she knew he felt vulnerable which she could tell was a problem for him. "I think you deserve to know because you're my best friend above all else and I couldn't let you go on being that for me, without knowing." His eyes never left hers, he paused and just looked at her.

"Can I say something?" Luke nodded. She waited for a moment to gather her thoughts. She always knew there was something there. He was one of her best friends, he's always been there for her. She knew that even the most innocent of touches from him gave her goosebumps, she knew that she loved to just sit in the diner and talk to him, she knew that his random acts of kindness like fixing things for her, helping out around the Dragonfly when Tom was busy doing other things, not saying anything to her when she forgets to pay for her coffee, caring for Rory...it all added up in her mind, she knew that he never had an ulterior motive, he did those things because he's a decent and kind man. Lorelai watched the nervousness in his eyes. She felt her face flush. "You know what? I don't have anything to say...I just want to..." her voice trailed off as she stood from her chair, she slowly leaned over him and brought her face close to his, she gently ran her fingers over his bruised face, feeling sad for just a moment. His heart monitor began beeping faster as her mouth descended on his. She kissed him lightly, she pulled away slightly, looking at him, his eyes were closed and his lips still slightly puckered. She smiled and kissed him again, his hand came up and held her cheek. The kiss was so soft and gentle, it sent shivers down Lorelai's spine. She pulled away and waited for him to open his eyes.

"What does that mean?" He asked, his eyes searching hers.

"It means that, you need to figure out what you want to do about that marriage of yours and that...I'll be right here once you do." She placed her hand back into his and switched the tv back on.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it took so long, it's only the second chapter and I'm stuck already. I'm not overly fond of this story but I'm sure I'll get better. Encouragement is welcome in the form of reviews :)

A week had passed. Lorelai visited Luke daily, staying hours. They hadn't spoken about their feelings again but it was weighing on Luke's mind constantly. He knew what he wanted but being in the confines of the hospital and his casts made it difficult to do anything about it. Nicole had visited him twice and it was strained and a little bitter. He could tell she knew what was going to happen once he was out and about again. So they exchanged pleasantries and she left, letting him know that they would talk when he felt up to it.

He hadn't been sleeping, he hated hospitals, the smells and sounds, sick people and just the thought of the dead people in the morgue. It made him feel constantly ill. The only thing that made him feel better was the knowledge that Lorelai would be there everyday too see him and the obvious fact that he's going to be okay, soon, he'll be free to go home hopefully, soon.

The nurses checked on him multiple times a day, the food he had to eat was horrible but Lorelai would bring him something from the store or from Sookie every now and then so it wasn't too bad. The doctor never gave him false promises, he was always straight up about not knowing when he'd be able to go home. His stitches were healing well, his memory had come back fully, the only thing keeping him there was his broken bones. He wouldn't be able to walk for a while and that pissed him off to no end, but there was nothing he could do about that. Physical therapy was inevitable once the casts were to come off, something he wasn't looking forward to.

Three weeks he spent in the hospital. Three weeks of boring, lifeless, sterile torture. But, he could finally leave. Finally he could see the outside world, finally he could talk to people he knew, not that he liked to do that when he wasn't cooped up in a hospital anyway, but it was nice to know that he could. He'd had visitors other than Lorelai, but she was the only one he really wanted there. The day came, Lorelai was there to take him home.

"Hi!" She sounded so excited. She grinned at him. "You ready to bust out of this joint?" She asked.

"Dear God yes." He exclaimed dryly as the nurses helped him into his wheelchair. He felt useless and cranky about having to be in a wheelchair but he couldn't walk. They talked about getting him into moonboots and him using crutches, but the doctor thought it was too soon because one of his arms was out of action, much to Luke and Lorelai's disappointment.

Two male nurses helped him up into Lorelai's jeep and they settled his loan wheelchair into the back. She situated herself at the wheel and watched him as he bucked himself in. "Ready?" Luke nodded and sighed, despite the cold air, he unzipped the window and let the fresh air into the car. Lorelai smiled as she watched him revel in the outside world.

"God, you don't realise how much you take the little things like fresh air for granted until you're stuck in a place like that." He said as they pulled out of the parking lot. As they drove down the highway, the car was filled with silence. Luke and Lorelai both felt the tension of the unknown. In three weeks they never touched on the subject of them. Where things were going or what was going to happen to Luke's marriage. A little while later they pulled up to Lorelai's house. "What are we doing here?" Luke asked.

"Well you're going to need some help over the next couple of weeks and I thought it might be better for you to stay here...I can't look after you in your apartment Luke." She said as she hopped out of the car. She got the wheelchair from the back and opened it up.

"Lorelai, this is unnecessary. I can-"

"Look after yourself? Huh, and how are you going to get up the stairs into your apartment? How will you eat? Are you going to get out of bed and walk to the fridge in your casts?" He looked at her with an exaggerated eye roll and dropped his head in defeat. "Thought so." She smirked knowingly at him.

"How am I supposed to get up the stairs to your porch?" He asked feeling smug. He looked at her expectantly. She smiled and gestured at the porch, he turned his head to look over at the porch and he chuckled when he saw her makeshift ramp leading up to the front door. "And you're going to push me up that?"

"Yes, I am." She helped him out of the jeep and into the wheelchair. Once she got through the struggle of pushing him over the lawn and up to the start of the ramp, she realised that getting him up the ramp was probably going to be a two woman job or just a one strong man job. "Wait here." She said as she rushed over to Babettes.

"Like I can go anywhere else..." he mumbled. A moment later Lorelai came back with Morey. As if he wasn't embarrassed enough as it is, this was making it so much worse. He knew he had no choice. Morey had no trouble pushing him up the ramp and over near the door.

"Thanks Morey. Owe ya one." She smiled up at the very tall man. He nodded.

"No problem. Stay cool, Lorelai. Luke." He disappeared as Lorelai unlocked the door and pushed Luke into her house. He looked into the living room and shook his head at what he saw.

"What have you done?" He asked with a chuckle. She grinned at him as she pushed him further into the room.

"Well, I moved Rory's bed out here." She gestured to the bed. Then she showed him the table next to it. "And over here you've got your books, magazines, a tiny little annoying bell just incase you're in need of assistance." She pointed to the tv. "There's the tv because we'll be watching a lot of it. Over here we have my whole DVD collection." She grabbed the arms of the armchair in the corner next to the stairs and dragged it over next to the bed. "And this is my spot." She faced him and put her hand on her hips, she watched him nod slowly as he took it all in.

"Uh, one thing."

"Yeah?"

"How am I supposed to go to the bathroom?" He asked, turning red slightly.

"Oh, well how did you go at the hospital?" She asked as she carefully helped him up and onto the side of the bed. He looked at her sheepishly.

"I had a catheter...but they took it out this morning." His face was red. She cringed jokingly to him then smiled.

"I didn't actually think about that..." she trailed off and looked around the room, trying to think of something to do about the problem at hand. "You don't have to go right now do you?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"Well what if I moved all this stuff upstairs and that way, you can stay up in my room so instead of us trying to climb the stairs every few hours, it'll only be a short hobble across the hall every few hours?" She looked at him with hope and he dropped his head.

"Might be easier but I don't want to kick you out of your bed." She shook her head.

"It's fine Luke. I'll just stay down here. You've got the bell and my legs are working just fine so..." look nodded and looked over at the stairs.

"How do we do this?" He began to push himself off the bed. She looked at the wheelchair and pushed it closer to him. He got himself into it and she wheeled him over to the bottom of the stairs. She rushed into the foyer and grabbed the crutches she got from the hospital. She gave him one and he used his castless hand to hold himself up with the crutch. Lorelai wrapped her arm around his waist on the other side of him and he draped his casted arm around her shoulder. They started to ascend the stairs. It took almost twenty minutes but that finally made it up into Lorelai's bedroom. She looked around at the mess in her room and over at the bed. She plopped him down in the armchair in the corner of the room after pushing all of the clothes on it onto the floor. Luke laughed.

"So it's a bit messy." She quickly walked out of the room and returned a moment later with fresh sheets. "I'm just gonna change the sheets and make the bed."

After Lorelai got Luke situated in the bed, she began to transfer everything she left downstairs for entertainment up into her room. She placed the bell on the nightstand next to the bed and plopped down into the bed next to him, with a paper bag in her hands.

"What's that?"

"Pain killers." She said as she pulled out a small bottle of pills. "Antiseptic ointment, for your war mounds." She pointed to the small cuts on his face. "And, redvines." She grinned at him as she pulled out the candy. He rolled his eyes. "What? they were at the counter and I couldn't resist." He chuckled and shook his head. She got off the bed and went to the other side of the bed and opened the bottle of pills. She shook one out and handed it to him, he waited for her to open a bottle of water and he took the pill. She waited for him to settle into the bed a little and then opened the ointment.

"I can do that. You don't have to." He said holding his hand out. She swatted his hand away.

"I don't mind. Plus, you don't even know where to put it." She said matter of factly. She squeezed a little onto her fingers and got onto the bed on her knees, she leaned over him and started to dab little bits of it on to where his healing cuts were. She could feel his breath on her chest, it sent shivers through her body. Luke stared at her as she tried hard to concentrated on the task at hand. He wanted to say so much but he knew now wasn't the time.

"Hey, uh, can I use your phone when you're done?" Lorelai was startled out of her thoughts, she looked down at him and nodded.

"Yeah." She said, finishing up with his cuts and pulling away from him and sliding off the edge of the bed. She picked up the phone on the nightstand and handed it to him. He smiled gratefully at her and watched her as she stepped away, she went to her dresser and grabbed a few things.

"I'm going to take a shower, and then I'm going to order some pizzas. And special requests?"

"Considering I had just escaped deaths clutches, I'm probably better off not eating what you'd normally order so, veggie pizza for me. Thanks." She smirked at him and left the room. Once he heard the shower running, he dialled the number and waited for an answer.

Half an hour later, they sat on Lorelai's bed eating pizza and watching tv. Lorelai kept looking over at him, she couldn't help herself. All his bruises had cleared up and it was just the small cuts on his face, which had mostly healed now, he was still as handsome as ever, she thought. She thought back to the kiss they'd shared in the hospital, she thought about it everyday, the way her lips tingled for hours after and how his lips felt so soft. She absentmindedly closed her eyes and sighed aloud. Luke looked at her and furrowed his brow.

"I called a lawyer earlier." He said, shocking himself. The semi-darkness gave him courage to bring up the topic they'd been eluding for weeks.

"Oh." Was all she said. She faced him on the bed and her eyes asked him to continue.

"He's sending the divorce papers to Nicole tomorrow." He noticed the uneasy look on her face and took his time to think for a moment.

"I'm sor-"

"I want to take you on a date." Lorelai stopped mid sentence when he spoke. "You know, when I'm not a complete cripple." He said with a chuckle, he stopped when he noticed her staring at him. "Lorelai?" Her stunned look turned into a smile.

"I'd like that." She whispered. "And you're not a cripple. You're just...temporarily somewhat bedridden." He laughed again.

"Well in any case, once I'm back on my feet, literally...I'd like to take you on a date." Lorelai smiled at him again and nodded. She picked up all the pizza remains and scooted off the bed. She stopped at the doorway and turned back to him.

"How long does it take to get divorced?"

"I have no idea. Never got divorced before." He shrugged. "The sooner the better."

"Oh yeah?" She asked, smiling. He just looked her in the eyes and nodded, turning off the tv.

"Goodnight, Lorelai." She flipped the lamp on the night stand.

"Goodnight, Luke."

Luke was so excited, internally of course. The casts were coming off today. He'd hoped they'd come off a little sooner but six weeks of being in them wasn't so bad. The last three weeks at Lorelai's place was pure agony, spending so much time with her was great but being so close to her and not being able to do anything about it was frustrating. He couldn't be more happy about getting those damn casts off. He'd spent most of the last few days thinking of date ideas, he wasn't going to waste any time.

Once the casts were off, he and Lorelai took it slow back out to the car. The doctor explained to them that Luke may have to have physical therapy because he's been off his legs for a while and might find it difficult to walk. Luke felt so much adrenaline from being back on his feet that it really didn't seem to affect his walking at all.

"So, uh, are you gonna go back to your apartment now that you're free?" Lorelai asked tentatively. Luke watched the hopeful look in her eye. He smiled to himself.

"Well, I don't know how strong my legs are right now so, maybe it's best if I stay with you for a few more days." He said, not looking at her, not making it a big deal.

"Oh, yeah, great."

"Is that okay?" He looked at her. She grinned.

"It's okay."


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys, I lost my flow with this one, I had a great long multi chapter story planned but I fell out with it so I decided to wrap it up. There are some JavaJunkie one shots I'm working on at the moment that will hopefully be out at some point this week. Anyway, thanks to those of you who read this and liked it. I appreciate your input :)

Lorelai was beginning to get frustrated. Each day that passed was worse, no update on the divorce, no update on the date. Luke was nearly completely healed, he'd been to three physical therapy appointments and they had really worked wonders. He'd moved back into his apartment, much to both of their secret disappointment. He'd been back to work for three days. She'd gone back to work also, she'd gone sporadically throughout his recovery process but never stayed long, she would worry about him the whole time, Sookie would get fed up with her constantly worrying and send her home. Things were "back to normal", Lorelai hated it.

She felt lonely in her house now, she loved having someone home with her. Someone to talk to, someone to look after. She knew he hated being waited on and the embarrassment that came with her having to help Luke do everything. Now the house was silent and boring, just like it had been when Rory first left for college.

She got home from work earlier than she'd planned, Tom's work crew was loud and distracting, meaning a fruitless work day for her, so she bought all of her paperwork and orders home to go through without the noise. She sat at the kitchen table and sifted through everything, not really paying attention. Finally deciding not to wait around for him, she would make the first move. She grabbed her purse and took off toward the diner.

"Hey!" She said, almost angrily as she stepped up to the counter. He turned quickly at her voice and smiled, noticing the look on her face he frowned.

"Hey, what's going on?" He picked up the carafe and poured her mug of coffee.

"You tell me?" He looked at her in confusion and shook his head.

"Lorelai?" She jumped up from the stool and downed her coffee, she looked over at the curtain leading up to his apartment and looked back at Luke, quickly walked over to the curtain and disappearing behind it. Luke watched for a moment and called out to Ceasar.

"Lorelai, what's going on?" He asked, beginning to get frustrated. He watched her as she paced quickly in front of his kitchen table.

"I don't know! How's that divorce going?" She looked at his face, he was frowning. She softened a little and waited.

"Nicole won't sign the papers..." he said, trailing off. He waited for Lorelai to take it in, and he sighed. "She said she wanted to talk to me, she wants me to explain everything to her."

"What are you going to do?" She asked him, seeing the worry in his eyes.

"Well, I have to talk to her, but she's been busy these last few days...it's all on her terms, Lorelai. I want it all over, right now..." he stepped close to her and ran his fingers absentmindedly through her wavy locks. "I want to do it all right with you, Lorelai. I want to be with you, but I have to be divorced first, it's important. I can't go into this with baggage, do you understand?" He was looking into her eyes. All she wanted at that moment was to kiss him. She knew that he wasn't the type of man who would go into another relationship, knowing that his other one hadn't properly ended. He wasn't going to make her 'the other woman'.

"I get it. When are you going to talk to her?" Her voice was nearly a whisper, the feeling of his fingers in her hair and his eyes looking into hers was making her weak.

"I'm going to her place tonight, I have things to get from there anyway." He said, putting his hand back down at his sides.

"I'm tired of waiting." She said, grabbing his hand. She understood his need to get everything sorted with Nicole first, but his reluctance to be with her right now was stinging just a little. It was already over between him and Nicole, paperwork was just a formality. But, Luke wouldn't be Luke without his need to do things 'right'. Luke nodded at her confession.

"I am too. I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her lips so softly that she barely felt it. He pulled away but Lorelai pulled him back by his neck and kissed him more urgently. Weeks and weeks had passed since their kiss at the hospital and she desperately needed to feel that floating, tingling feeling again. He grasped her waist and pulled her against him, their passionate kiss was put to an end by Luke, as much as he wanted to continue, his conscience couldn't do it. "Lorelai." He whispered, his forehead resting against hers.

"I know. I just..."

"I know." He kissed her forehead and stepped away from her. "I promise you. We won't have to wait too much longer. I'll talk to her tonight, I'll tell her everything, she'll sign the papers and then I'm taking you on that date." He said with a smile. She smiled back sadly at him and walked toward the door. "Lorelai." He called before she stepped out. "I'll call you." She looked back at him and smiled, a real smile this time. He nodded and she left.

Luke took his time driving to Litchfield, he knew that now was his chance to lay everything on the table for Nicole. He never wanted to hurt her but she did her fair share of hurtful things too, she was always so condescending and took joy in making him feel stupid, like all of their problems were his fault. They were never in love. They pretended they were, it was convenient. He arrived at her house, he wasn't nervous, he was so ready for it all to end, he was anxious to start things with Lorelai and finally be happy. They exchanged pleasantries and took seats at the opposite ends of her table. The unsigned divorce papers sat in the middle of the table.

They talked for hours. He talked about how he felt about Lorelai, how long he felt that way. Nicole openly judged him about going into a relationship with her while he was so hung up on someone else, he acknowledged that it was horrible to treat her like that. They spoke about his inability to move in with her, and his constant trouble to make love to her. They spoke about her never having the time to spend with him, never wanting to do the things he liked, her always making him see her friends and never his. Her constantly complaining that he worked to much, when really she worked twice as much as he did. Nothing was held back, the night ended semi-tensely but she placed her signature on the dotted line, he gathered the small amount of things he had at her house and left.

It was late when Luke arrived back in Stars Hollow. He stopped at the post box in front of the bank and slipped the large yellow envelope inside of it. He looked up at the sky and smiled, then looked around at the square to make sure no one was around. He looked at his watch and knew she'd still be awake. He took off on foot to her house, he hadn't realised that he ran the whole way to her house until he got to the steps of her porch, he was panting and his legs were sore, he knew he probably shouldn't have seeing as he'd just healed after them being broken. He shook his head and tried to catch his breath. He knocked.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She asked as she watched him trying to breath normally. He just looked up at her.

"Lorelai, are you...free to...morrow night?" He desperately asked between deep breaths.

This was it, in one hour Luke would be there to pick her up for their first date. She was excited, elated, nervous, anxious and those damn butterflies had been fluttering around in the belly since he finally asked her out last night. She had trouble sleeping and staying focused at work. She spend hours with Sookie gossiping about where they think he might take her. When she got home, she took a nice long bath, she spent time grooming and primping, making sure she looked and smelt her best.

She stared at her closet for close to half an hour before deciding to call Rory. She had spoken to Rory a few times over the last few weeks, not fully explaining the whole dating Luke situation but she figure it was about time she did. After a happy and giggly conversation with her daughter, she suddenly became aware of which dress she was going to wear. She remembered buying this dress months ago, before anything happened to Luke. She bought it and hung it up in her closet, not really having any event that this dress would work for, until now.

She slipped the little, body hugging, black dress on and stared at herself in the mirror, she gave herself a smirk. If this dress isn't heart attack inducing, she doesn't know what is. She glanced at the fuzzy alarm clock and hurried to finish her make-up. She wondered what Luke was wearing, he'd look handsome in anything he wore, she thought. She thought back to the conversation she and Sookie had in the kitchen of the Dragonfly.

"He's probably gonna take you to the batting cages, and then out for a beer...ooh, and then to the sports bar to watch the game."

She giggled at the thought and knew that Luke wouldn't do that, he's probably planned something really romantic. She smiled too herself, putting the cap back on her lipstick and taking one final look at herself. The doorbell rang just ten minutes later. The butterflies were there again and her heart began to race. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She gasped suddenly at the sight of him. His hair pushed back, face cleanly shaven, a dark navy blue dress shirt that made his lighter blue eyes stand out, black dress pants and point toe black leather shoes. Wow.

"Wow." She said, looking him up and down, her eyes finally landed in his face where he was trying to pick his jaw up of the ground.

"Wow is an understatement, Lorelai...you look..." he trailed off as she stepped out on to the porch and closed the door. "I mean...wow." She blushed and bit her lip.

"Thanks." She knew she was an attractive woman, but having Luke look at her like that made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, without a doubt. He was the perfect gentleman, he opened the car door for her, helped her in, he let her pick the music and conversation topics. She made sure not to be nosy and ask about his talk with Nicole, not that it mattered much now anyway, everything was said and done. There was no need to dwell.

As they drove, she realised they had been driving for a little while, they'd passed Hartford and drove a little longer. He pulled up to the marina.

"Luke?"

"I thought I'd show you my boat." He said, looking at her nervously. Her face broke into a glorious smile, to his relief. They walked hand in hand down the docks and stopped in front of his boat. It was bigger than she thought it would be, her eyes shifted to the table, candles and champagne bucket set up on the deck of the boat.

"Oh my god, Luke." She said, grinning, slapping him playfully on his arm. He guided her over to board. He pulled her chair out for her and he disappeared inside the boat. He came out just moments later with two plates of food, setting one down in front of her and then his. He poured a flute of champagne for her and got a beer for himself.

"I hate champagne." He said when she lifted an eyebrow at him. She looked down at her plate and smiled.

"Did you make this?" She asked, watching him sit and open his beer. He nodded and tilted his beer toward her.

"Here's to you." He said happily.

"I'll drink to that." They toasted and sipped and smiled, she giggled at the smug look on his face as she tried to figure out what she was looking at on her plate. "What is it?"

"Right there you have, roasted almond and orange duck on a bed of wild saffron rice and stuffed jalapeños. They're not too spicy I hope, unless you like it like that." He cleared his throat and waited.

"I like it like that." She said simply, raising her eyebrows suggestively. "This looks amazing, Luke." She gave him an adoring smile, he couldn't help but stare at her as she tentatively took a bite of her meal. They ate mostly in silence, he loved all the faces and noises she made as she tried everything on her plate, he felt so satisfied that she enjoyed his cooking. After they ate, he brought her over to the long seat around the edge of his boat. He watched her silently as she looked out at the moonlit water, and up at the Stars. "It's so beautiful."

"Yes it is." He said softly, never taking his eyes from her. She turned to look at him, noticing his staring. She blushed and kissed his cheek, as she was pulling away his hand came up to brush against her cheek as he captured her lips and a searing kiss.

"What's for dessert?" She asked breathlessly. They continued they're passionate kiss, they stood, clutching each others bodies close as they moved down into the cabin of the boat. They stopped at the foot of the double bed, Luke's hands ran down her sides and grasped her butt, pressing her against his growing arousal. They both moaned into one another's mouths. Luke's hands began to roam her body again, he found the small tab to her zipper, pulling it down slowly. He pushed the skinny sleeves of her dress off her shoulders and skimmed it down her body, letting it fall the her ankles, she stepped out of it and kicked her shoes off in the process. He took in her body, clad now in only her matching black bra and panties. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his hammering heart.

Lorelai's fingers began to pop open the buttons of his shirt, letting it join her discarded dress on the floor. Luke lifted her slightly and lay her gently on the bed, following her down to hover over her, toeing off his shoes easily. They resumed their kiss, he couldn't help but let his hands venture over her soft body. Starting at her neck, trailing down between her breast, spreading his warm hand over her belly, skipping past her underwear and down her thigh, gathering her leg in his hand and pulling it up to hook over his hip. He pressed their pelvises together, hearing her moan breathily in his ear, sending a wave of arousal through his body.

"Luke..." came her impatient plead. He got to his knees and unclasped his belt, never taking his eyes off hers. He slipped from the bed and finished undressing, taking his boxers with his pants. He felt self conscious only for a moment, until he saw the look in her eyes, letting him know she was impressed. She bit her lip and lifted herself from the bed, crawling over to him. She kissed his stomach, feeling his muscles ripple against her lips, his quiet moans filling the cabin. She pulled herself up against him, kissing him as she reached back and unclipped her bra, flinging it to the floor. He crawled back on to the bed, gently pushing her with him until he resumed his position on top of her.

His tongue danced inside of her mouth as she ran her fingers through his hair, rolling her hips against hers. He trailed kisses down her body, stopping to lavish her breasts with hot, open mouth kisses. Paying special attention to her hardened nipples, bringing small gasps of pleasure from her lips. He continued his journey down her body, placing more hot, wet kisses on her belly and along the waistband of her panties. "Luke...please." She begged, her arousal now becoming unbearable. He looked up at her through his eyelashes, as he placed himself between her legs, he kissed her inner thigh. She bit her lip and her hands planted themselves on his head. He watched her watch him, it was the most erotic and beautiful thing he'd ever witnessed.

The smell of her arousal was intoxicating, all he could think about was how she would taste. He placed a light kiss to her panty covered sex, it was incredibly damn, a licked his lips and closed his eyes at the heavenly taste. He hooked his fingers into the elastic sides of her underwear and inched them down her long, slender legs, added them to the pile of their clothes on the floor.

He settled himself back between her legs, he wasted no time. He ran his tongue along her slit, she gasped at the contact. He sucked and licked at her clit until she was panting, her fingers buried tightly into his hair. He slipped one finger inside of her and felt her warm, wet walls clenching around his finger and his assault on her clit continued. His name softly fell from her lips over and over as her first climax built, he watched the muscles in her stomach spasm and her face contort gracefully as she came. Her moans like music to his ears.

"Oh my god." She repeated continuously as he kissed his way back up her body. Her fingernails scraping over his sides and back. She spread her legs further as he settled between them, positioning himself at her entrance.

He kissed her fully and hungrily, she loved that she could taste herself on his tongue as it glided in and out of her mouth. He hovered over her, his arms either side of her head, her legs wrapped around his waist, her nails digging ever so slightly into his sides as he slowly pushed inside of her. The both moaned at he sensation.

"Lorelai..." he said huskily.

"Mmm." Was her only resposne, her eyes glued to his. Her hips rolling against his as he thrust into her. He tried to keep the slow and sensual pace but the overwhelming feeling of being inside her, he muscled pulling him into her was getting the best of him. He hugged her to him and rolled them so she was perched on top of him. The perfect view, he thought. He took her in, the way her hair fell forward as she rode him, her breasts lightly bouncing, the sexy way her hips rolled against him. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold back for much longer. He gripped her hips and helped her pick up the speed, pulling and pushing her, her loud moans and gasps egging him on. He watched as she slipped one of her hands down between them and began to rub her clit slowly at first but as the tension built inside of her, she began to rub furiously, matching the speed of her hips. "Luke! Oh my...Luke..." Her climax was heavy and intense, her body shook and he chest heaved, the noises coming from her was his trigger. "Lorelai!" He pumped his hips, grunting and spilling himself inside of her. She slumped her tired body on top of him, his fingers running lightly up and down her spine. He felt the goosebumps along her skin. He pulled the blankets up and over them. Holding her against him, afraid that if he let go she would disappear. He heard her giggle.

"What?" He asked in an exhausted whisper.

"We're really good at that." He smirked and squeezed her, turning to the side and letting her fall softly on to the bed. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her hair.

"We are aren't we." He sighed, he felt her eyes on him and he looked down into them. "I've wanted this for so long, Lorelai." She smiled at him, lifting her fingers and trailing along his lips. She kissed him softly and smiled again.

"Feeling's Mutual."


End file.
